It will now be faster and simpler for many residential and some small commercial customers to receive approval for on-site solar photovoltaic installations without worrying about the need for a possible interconnection study, Hawaiian Electric announced Tuesday.

The Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo is underway at the Hawaii Convention Center. It is an international effort to expand Hawaii's renewable energy production while boosting the bottom line of local businesses.

More solar and wind projects are helping the state get closer to its goal of using 70 percent clean energy by the year 2030.

There are other new and tantalizing technologies, like wave energy, fuel cells and algae farms, being discussed, but don't expect them to be a big part of our energy future, at least for the short term.

"We're not depending on some imaginary tech breakthrough to get us to the finish line. We're using technology and projects that can been done right away," said Schatz.

"Certainly I see more solar, not just on rooftops but also fields of solar; solar farms if you will," said Hawaiian Electric Company Vice President Robbie Alm.

Erika Brooksby's vision of tomorrow also includes more solar. Tuesday night, she shared her vision with HECO during the first public hearing over the utility's future plans.

She wants homeowners to be paid for their extra solar power, so neighbors would be making energy for one another.

"There's lots of rooftops. If we could fill them with solar panels it would produce loads of electricity for Hawaii, and its clean energy," said Brooksby, a senior at Mililani High School.

Technology that is currently lighting up the islands, including wind, geothermal, and trash-to-energy conversion, like at the H-Power plant, also factor heavily into the electric company's plans.

An upgrade to the electrical grid is also being prepared for, so the system can handle all the green energy coming in. And some are hoping for more connectivity between the islands.

"We have to have a serious discussion about laying cables between the islands. We need to go from every island on its own, to be able to back each other up and operate as a unit," said Alm.

That has some residents worried about what the energy will cost communities in the future.

"What has resonated loud and clear is each island wants to be energy independent, so that each island can use its own resources for its own power generation," said Kat Brady, with Life of the Land.

According to Alm, the reason other new technologies aren't included into the large-scale plans is because it could take years for alternative crops to grow or facilities to be built.

The islands have become a testing ground for innovative clean energy ideas, so in five to 10 years, the power generation landscape could change dramatically.

The onslaught on Houthis rebels in Yemen continued Tuesday, with the Saudi-led coalition asserting increasing control while locals fled the chaos and casualties piled up -- dozens of civilians among them.